


Once upon a time, fanfictions were read online

by poupie69



Category: UCL - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Codex to Kindle module, Erasmus in London, Fanfictions, Foster Court 243, Harry Potter References, I hope you will like it - and not just for my grade, No background music but I love Star Wars theme, Other, Research Project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 10:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5704075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poupie69/pseuds/poupie69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No back out on a promise, even if it's not a pinky one, here is my research project on fanfictions! What would be a better place than an actual fanfiction site for posting my work? Since I don't know  I put it there for your reading. Like fanfiction authors say: Hope you enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once upon a time, fanfictions were read online

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TonyMcN](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=TonyMcN).



> As I said on the submission page, I cannot put footnotes on AO3 so I let the sources directly in italic within my text. I hope it will not be too disturbing for you

 

 

 

 

 

While including my personal experience as a fanfiction reader from time to time, I will try in this study to describe the background of these stories based on an original work from books, films, TV shows, music, and celebrities, created, published and read online by fans of the original work to create values it failed to offer. [_http://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/_](http://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/)  I also want to briefly say why fanfictions are posted and served up to eagerly awaiting readers you may join afterwards. Like in every other story, there will be harder paths I have to depict: how are fanfictions problematic concerning  intellectual property, literary criterias ( with the expected hint of money-making opportunity putting in two cents may I say). Fortunately, I shall then describe the collaboratively mostly supporting community fanfictions represent. Last but not least, I will compare two of main sites so you can stand on your own two feet when (not if) you will visit them.

  


First, I want to depict a bit the history of this peculiar type of writing and reading made by fan communities. While online fanfictions are quite recent because of the novelty of the support itself, I discovered that fanfictions are not that recent.

Indeed, what I will call ‘story sharing’ and ‘active reception‘ is not a new phenomenon within literary history. Martial Martin mentions the link between fanfictions and Ancient Greek mythical thought and how greek tragedies like fanfictions all use in a personal expression the same limited repertoire yet varied. From a known general universe and characters people developed a story around adding what they wanted.

I can take the example of Eschylus and Sophocles Oedipus or latter in history the numerous Arthurian adventures written by more or less talented authors. These authors were fan and wrote fictions: in a way there were fan fictions authors like the thousands people posting their work online. Since stories were shared and taken over, fan fictions existed. Martial Martin says that ‘le rédacteur de « fanfics » apparaît comme un aède de l’ère numérique, renouant avec une époque de liberté vis-à-vis de la matière du mythe. _’_ [ _http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/23603/2007_HS_186.pdf?sequence=1_ ](http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/23603/2007_HS_186.pdf?sequence=1)

The modern fan fictions ‘reborn’ with the TV show Star Trek in the 60’s. Learning author wrote science fiction stories, published in specialized magazines called ‘fanzines’. Star Trek fans decided to write stories based upon their favorite universe in their own fanzines, like Spockanalia (1967-1970). [ _https://armurerie.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/fanfictions/_ ](https://armurerie.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/fanfictions/)

Star Trek fans developed a sub-genre of fanfictions  : the ‘slash’. It is a story supposing a homerotic or homosexual relationship between two characters which was not present or not spelt out in original work. _screenshot 3_ . The name comes from the punctuation mark between Kirk/Spock, also commonly abbreviated as "K/S" and referring to James T. Kirk and Spock homosexual relationship usually written by female fans of the serie.

_‘Studies of early_ [ _Star Trek_ ](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Franchise/StarTrek) _fanfiction showed as many as 90% of authors were female in the 1970s, even though at the time such stories could only be shared through fanzines or through sending self-addressed-stamped-envelopes to the authors and having them mail you a manuscript.’_ [ _http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostFanficWritersAreGirls_ ](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostFanficWritersAreGirls)

This idea of female majority in fan fictions authors and readers is still true, as I can see in the fanfictions I read and as you can see on the interview of authors who are 100% women  [ _http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr_ ](http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr/),even if most sites do not provided any extra facilities to display their sex.

The internet has indeed a great role in the fanfictions actuality nowadays since it is the ‘place’ where the stories are shared. To me, the huge amount of fanfictions these days is linked to the growing use of internet since the 1990’s. Posting and accessing is easier and quicker.

One of the fact that come back the most when you ask fanfictions authors what they think about what they do is the wish to give their work and to do do Internet is used.[ _http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr_ ](http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr/) _/ et l’argent dans tout ca?_ Here is a link to a site which present the 15 main sites where fan fictions are posted. I will only mention fanfiction.net and archiveofourown.org, aka ff.net and AO3, since I use them daily. [ _http://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/_ ](http://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/)

 

If giving their stories is a genuine wish, at several levels, the social trend that represent fanfiction involve many questions about literary creation, evolution and evaluation. Writing fanfictions raise some issues like the literary value of these creations or the problematic topic of their lack of real legal acknowledgment and how the websites themselves try to find a solution.

First thing first, they ask again the topic of what can be considered proper literature. Are fanfictions work of art? To me, since someone has written a text thanks to their own imagination, even if the original work does not belong to them, there is a work of art. As long as fanfictions do not plagiat , copy and paste. A part of writing a fanfiction is ‘confessing’ in your way that you are a fan of a book, a TV show or even a celebrity. What would be the point is this way was exactly the same than someone else? From time to time you can see within the community some vendetta between a fanfiction author or even a fan fiction traductor with another one about the copycatting of their work. Here are two links concerning two traductors of a Harry Potter fanfiction depicting a ‘mature’ relationship between Hermione Granger, as a super spy, with Severus Snape, not as grumpy as in the J.K.Rowling books (vendetta and story have both a happy ending). [_https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2566386/53/Quand-la-Lionne-se-bat_](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2566386/53/Quand-la-Lionne-se-bat) [_https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11530589/1/Quand-la-lionne-se-bat_](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11530589/1/Quand-la-lionne-se-bat)

 

Another question about the fanfictions would be: are they any good? Just like any other work of art, the question is here and still debated. To me it is a matter of subjectivity: what are your preferences, are you accepting engaged differences, how old you are (since some erotical stories may shock an audience too young or not mature enough or just modest if not puritan.  However it is true that the grammar mistakes may repel you, especially when numerous and that a scenario can be not constructed enough ( which can be one of the limit of fanfictions, there is not always someone to re read your work and to guide you like a ‘ proper’ publisher could do. )

 

Last but not least is the issue of intellectual property. Here [_https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfiction#La_position_des_d.C3.A9tenteurs_des_droits_d.27auteur_](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfiction#La_position_des_d.C3.A9tenteurs_des_droits_d.27auteur)  is a link to a list of authors refusing the fanfictions based on their work among whom Nora Roberts and Terry Goodkind. You cannot find fanfictions from their work on the site fanfiction.net whom inform users in their guidelines saying ‘that FanFiction respects the expressed wishes of the following authors/publishers and will not archive entries based on their work’.  [ _https://www.fanfiction.net/guidelines/_](https://www.fanfiction.net/guidelines/)

However, some authors may have been forgotten like George RR Martin who clearly says on his website : ‘My position on so-called "fan fiction" is pretty well known. I'm against it, for a variety of reasons that I've stated previously more than once. I won't repeat 'em here. [ _http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html_ ](http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html) _‘_ [ _Someone Is Angry On the Internet_ ](http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html) _, May. 7th, 2010 at 7:35 PM_

 

One of the reason for such a position can be partly the money at stake, even if George RR Martin mentions mostly intellectual property. Indeed, maybe Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga should have said something, and been heard, before the yielding success of 50 shades of grey, written by E.L. James and adapted in movies generating millions of dollars.

At first, there was Meyer’s book, then a fan fiction by Tara Me Sue posted previously on fanfiction.net, which deeply inspired E.L. James for ‘her story’ [ _http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey_ ](http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey) . Like said in the _video ‘50 shades of grey, quand le fandom devient mainstream’ on_ [ _http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr_ ](http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr/#phenome) _,_ everybody in the fanfiction community heard about it, I had to mention it. It may also have a link with the fact that waiting for the next book of the Twilight saga as a teen I run into my very first fanfiction and that a few years later I read Tara Me story online before it was published by Penguin's Edition and sold for 18£. This video also shows some author's opinion on the idea of selling their work. One confesses that  the money would be refused yet mostly expresses how reluctant she is:  ‘et l’argent dans tout ca/ etre paye pour etre fan , ca non!,

Don’t be too sad for Stephenie Meyer, her books were among the best sales and still are. She even  wrote for the 10th birthday of Twilight a sort of fanfiction depicting the original characters in the opposite gender: Bella is Beaufort and Edward is Edythe. You can find it here [ _http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Tenth-Anniversary-Life-Death/dp/0349002487/ref=la_B001H6GO92_1_5?s=books &ie=UTF8&qid=1452597318&sr=1-5 _ ](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Tenth-Anniversary-Life-Death/dp/0349002487/ref=la_B001H6GO92_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452597318&sr=1-5)

 

The issue of intellectual is not solved, studies are made, opinion are expressed but no country has yet a clear position upon this side of fanfictions. [_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_with_fan_fiction_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_with_fan_fiction) To  try to get ahead of any legal decision about closing sites or deleting stories (like told here [_http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hannah-ellison/fanfiction-the-book-burning-that-was_b_1592689.html_](http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hannah-ellison/fanfiction-the-book-burning-that-was_b_1592689.html) and [_https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net_adult_content_purge_felt_across_fandom_two_weeks_on_](https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net_adult_content_purge_felt_across_fandom_two_weeks_on)  , about fanfictions including lyrics , or mature contempt suddenly deleted overnight to follow the wish and maybe afraid of legal pursuits like JK Rowling lawyer do) some of them try to develop their own financing plan and legal network. Here is the example of AO3, which I am the most familiar with. For  example, they reached 171.363 US$ in a drive _sreenshot 2_ during a week in October 2015, _screenshot 3_. It was possible only thanks to fan donations, which proves the liveliness of this online community.

[ _http://transformativeworks.org/news/save-link-needs-your-voice_ ](http://transformativeworks.org/news/save-link-needs-your-voice)

  
  
  


Fanfiction.net and AO3 are two of the biggest communities of authors and readers these days. Internet is at the time a great place of ‘collaboration and support’ and a sandpit like were the first Star Trek fanfictions from ’ _The democratic Genre, Fan fiction in the literary context’ Sheenagh Pugh, seren editions,2005 p117-141 ._ It is a community since exchanges are made about fanfictions. These fanfictions are anonymously posted thanks to a pseudo linked to a personal account. (You need to wait on a list that an automated system validates your account for AO3. It usually takes less than 36 hours). These stories can follow mostly the canon: the cast of the original work and their story or follow a new path thanks to sequels, prequels, crossover, missing scenes and AU (for alternative Universe) from ‘ _The democratic Genre, Fan fiction in the literary context’ Sheenagh Pugh, seren editions,2005 47-68 ‘ What else,  What if’ )_

 

Like Marcial Martin says on the site [_http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/23603/2007_HS_186.pdf?sequence=1_](http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/23603/2007_HS_186.pdf?sequence=1) : ‘to what [Michel ](http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/Communication%20and%20Journalism/JenkinsH.aspx)d[e Certeau](http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/Communication%20and%20Journalism/JenkinsH.aspx) calls ‘poaching’ ( _Arts de faire_ , Paris, Gallimard, 1990 ) Henry Jenkins says that it is only possible on someone else lands , yet frustration was born with the choices producers made’ and people wanted to develop an universe , to  divert its codes. _(_[ _Henry Jenkins Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture 1993, p. 162._](http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/Communication%20and%20Journalism/JenkinsH.aspx) )

 

Anyway, those sites are also communities since there is a feedback between its members. It can be positive through kudos on AO3, reviews let by readers, favorites added and email ‘alerts’ put to be told a story of several chapters you subscribe to was updated. However, negative review can be find on those sites just like for any other story. Sometimes, author accept them as guides to get better, sometimes they’re just mean or disrespectful (like ‘WHAT DO YOU WAIT FOR UPDATING!!!!!’’), hence the sandpit image developed by Pugh. Anyway, those sites constantly try to approve their system , maybe because they’re ‘competitors’, even if you can go on both sites as you want, mostly to satisfy their readers. [ _http://transformativeworks.org/update-ao3-performance-issues_ ](http://transformativeworks.org/update-ao3-performance-issues) I think that it is why so many sites exist: you want to find the site where you can find what you prefer and the online community allows you to make your own if you don’t find your happiness in one of the already existing sites. Concretely, on AO3 i can find more easily stories since more filters , ‘ tags’ exist. Someone you doen not like the media focused line of AO3 may prefer ff.net where ‘books’ communities are still the most commun.

 

I hope I could answer some questions about  this social trend I use personally that raises many questions from reading habits nowadays to literary creation, evolution and evaluation.  

To conclude, I would like to say that I hope you will learn something about fanfictions in this study and most of all that you find it interesting.

  


**IMAGOGRAPHY**

 

  


sreenshots from the AO3 site

screenshot 3 below

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> BIBLIOGRAPHY  
> websites:  
> http://transformativeworks.org/update-ao3-performance-issues  
> http://transformativeworks.org/news/save-link-needs-your-voice  
> http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hannah-ellison/fanfiction-the-book-burning-that-was_b_1592689.html  
> https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net_adult_content_purge_felt_across_fandom_two_weeks_on  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_with_fan_fiction  
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Tenth-Anniversary-Life-Death/dp/0349002487/ref=la_B001H6GO92_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452597318&sr=1-5  
> http://citizen-fan.nouvelles-ecritures.francetv.fr  
> http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey  
> http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/guidelines/  
> https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfiction#La_position_des_d.C3.A9tenteurs_des_droits_d.27auteur  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2566386/53/Quand-la-Lionne-se-bat  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11530589/1/Quand-la-lionne-se-bat  
> http://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/  
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostFanficWritersAreGirls  
> https://armurerie.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/fanfictions/ 
> 
>  
> 
> books or articles
> 
> Henry Jenkins ‘Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture’ 1993, p. 162.  
> Marcial Martin ‘les fanfictio sur internet’ sur http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/23603/2007_HS_186.pdf?sequence=1  
> Sheenagh Pugh, ‘The democratic Genre, Fan fiction in the literary context’, seren editions,2005  
> pages 47-68 ‘ What else, What if’  
> pages 242-244 ‘Appendix, A glossary of Fanfic terms used in this book’
> 
>  
> 
> IMAGOGRAPHY
> 
> From sheenagh Pugh, The democratic genre, fan fiction in a literary context, p242-244


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